From the wine bar of Paris Paris to the Bib Gourmand-recipient Favorites Thai BBQ, Chef Jonathan Poon has been taking Torontonians on a global culinary tour with his restaurants — without leaving Ossington Avenue. For Taberna Lx, the latest masterpiece on his resume and on the strip, Poon has crafted a worldly menu featuring the flavours and tastes of Portugal.
We spoke to Poon about building something new on familiar ground, how soda water fuels his kitchen, and why he’d take Lisbon over Paris any day.
Taberna Lx has opened at 1161 Dundas Street West. How does it feel being back in the kitchen where the original Paris Paris stood?
We modified the space quite a bit, so it really doesn’t feel like the old Paris Paris at all. So much about the building has changed — we added a second floor to it, we increased the ceiling height in the basement — so everything about it is quite different. Old Paris Paris was a much more open and one big room, whereas in the new restaurant, there are separate dining rooms and different areas.
Even though the menu is modern Portuguese, where can we see evidence of your Hong Kong roots in the menu at Taberna Lx?
How Hong Kong and Portuguese cuisine relates is because of its proximity to Macau, which was a Portuguese colony. With Macau being so close to Hong Kong and being majority Chinese, a lot of the dishes that I grew up eating in Hong Kong came from Macau and I did not even realize it was Portuguese — we just assumed that it was Chinese food. For example, custard tarts are quite common in Hong Kong cuisine, but that’s a Portuguese thing, and I didn’t really know that growing up until I started getting interested in Portuguese food and really thinking about the connection of how Portugal’s history hast brought their cuisine to that part of Asia.
On the menu at Taberna Lx, we have a salt cod fritter which, of course, is very Portuguese, but we’re doing it in a very Hong Kong or Cantonese dim sum-style. It’s a take on a taro puff but made with potatoes and salt cod instead of taro and pork. So, while it’s called salt cod fritter on the menu, it’s entirely something not the same as what you would find in a Portuguese place.
What’s your favourite part about welcoming diners into a new restaurant?
I think maybe it’s for people to see all of what we’re doing because, of course, for me, food is a huge part of it, but as a business owner, I also know that it’s about the entire experience. Here, we’ve done a good job of curating the room, all the little details, as well as the food and drink. So I think it’s the experience as a whole is the most exciting for people to see because there’s no restaurant serving this type of food in Toronto.
Where’s your favourite place to visit in Portugal?
Of the places I’ve been, Lisbon is definitely my favorite spot. It’s very beautiful place, just stunning—blue skies are incredible, weather is really great, food scene is amazing. For me, it has like the kind of feeling that people obsess over with cities like Paris and Rome. I like Rome, but it’s funny that I have a restaurant named Paris Paris, because I hate Paris. For me, when I go to Lisbon, I think I understand the feeling when people love Paris and romanticize it so much. I feel like that’s how I feel about Lisbon.
What’s your favourite thing to snack on while working in the kitchen?
I actually love going to my restaurant and tasting all the components of the dishes and talking with my chefs about what things are—but I will say, I am addicted to soda water. That is definitely how I get through my day. It’s kind of weird. It’s a very unhealthy lifestyle, to be honest, but we need to hydrate in the kitchen a lot and we don’t want to always want to be drinking something sweet, so soda water work really well for a lot of cooks.
How much soda water do you drink in a day?
My entire crew has developed this addiction because when everyone sees me doing it, they start doing it. Between all the restaurants, I think we have quite a few addicts. I could easily drink a whole case of like 12 can of soda water in one service. It’s kind of ridiculous. I’m trying to cut back.
What’s at the top of your playlist if you put some music on while in the kitchen at home?
I’m usually in silence. I like music, but I think when I’m playing music, I don’t actually listen to it, so when the music stops, I don’t even notice. So I just don’t play music—but for some reason I don’t feel the desire to either. I’m not really someone that listens to music or podcasts. I quite enjoy being silent because I literally talk to 200 employees a day between our restaurants. With all that time being social and talking and being in a restaurant, I just like my silence.
